By: Kenny Lookingbill – Date Posted: January 20, 2011

Has cabin fever affected you as hard as it has gotten to me? Are you tired of sitting on a bucket in the middle of a frozen lake, drilling dozens of holes, mesmerized by your bobber and waiting for a fish take your bait, sometimes to no avail?

There are several situations throughout winter in which I take the time to observe, play with, and handle all of my open water rods and reels. In addition, there are times where I pull out all of my tackle, organize it, then change my mind again about its current organization and repeat the process over again.
I found out that there is a remedy to this problem, and it is called warm water discharge fishing.

My experience with water discharges began a few years ago. I found myself killing time by reading about some of the various central Illinois lakes; many of which were in regard to power plant lakes. These particular bodies of water contain year-round open water thanks to the inflow of warm water being released into the lake from the discharge pipes.

Realizing the possibilities of being able to fish open water in the midst of freezing winter temperatures got me excited and I wanted to try it with hopes of finding success. Besides, if I wasn’t going to have success with catching fish, at least I was getting the opportunity to soothe my desires by being able to cast my favorite reels for the first time since the end of open water season.

One of my favorite destinations for discharge fishing is Clinton Lake, a 5,000 acre nuclear power plant lake located in Central Illinois. Clinton Lake is located halfway between the cities of Bloomington-Normal and Champaign, Illinois.

The areas to fish near the Clinton discharge are located in the middle of nowhere. Coming across this area for the first time ever was a great experience because as soon as we reached our access point, all we could see was the open water and dozens of anglers fishing the water down below on a 25 degree day.

During this first outing, we kept our presentations simple, using my go-to fish finding lure, the Charlie Brewer Slider jig. Soon after, we began to catch fish. Amongst our catches throughout that day were some white bass and very good sized crappie. All of which were meant for our dinner-plates the following evening.

Since then, we have made several return trips back to Clinton. Many times, our outings have resulted in worthwhile satisfaction.

When to fish
Warm water discharges can be fished year-round. To this point, I have found the general best times to fish them are from October through the end of March. Any time of the day is suitable, but usually the last hour of daylight to sundown is best.

Some specific discharges have special regulations regarding hours of operation, times, and dates that these places can be fished. As a result, be mindful of any possible rules and regulations. Examples of cooling lakes that have such regulations include Powerton Lake, located south of Peoria. This lake in particular has specific winter hours in which it can be shore-accessed and fished. Specifically, there is a period of time there that you have to be out of the lake by 3pm during the winter. In addition, the whole lake is closed for a week around Christmas.

Besides Powerton, my beloved Clinton Lake also has a few regulations of its own. Certain areas by the discharge are off-limits and closed during the winter for the purpose of protecting wildlife. It is important to be aware of signs that indicate these boundaries. Occasionally, the power plants will be shut down for maintenance and the water will freeze up for duration of the work being done until they are back online again.

Where to fish
Most of the cooling lakes are man-made, and artificial in origin. Majority of the shorelines at these lakes will consist of rip-rap, which can provide a great deal of habitat for many species of fish.

Besides rip-rap, other forms of habitat within reach may also be found from the shoreline to your liking such as woody debris and weedlines. Shore fishing is one option, but wading in shallow water is another option, and is a productive means for catching fish.

Water temperatures on these bodies of water are usually comfortable, ranging between 50-70 degrees. Wind can also be a big factor in where to fish, but not in the classic way you would think so. While the wind can blow the baitfish towards certain shorelines, it can also blow warmer water to different areas of the lake. For example, water temperatures at one particular area could be 45 degrees while elsewhere it could be pushing 65 degrees. It is always important to take into account the wind as following the warmer water will frequently lead to more fish.

Ideal for the multispecies angler
Warm water discharges are ideal for the multispecies angler as they attract and concentrate a variety of fish species throughout the winter months.

Whether you are the panfish fanatic, or the bass fishing buff, you will get satisfaction by fishing discharges. To date, I have had success fishing for walleye, largemouth bass, hybrid stripers, channel catfish, and most notably crappie.

In order to catch fish of any species, the simplest thing to do is to tie on your favorite multispecies lures such as a small jig and grub. Do not be afraid to throw lures that you would normally throw in the spring or summer for more aggressive fish because the fish will have more energy than you would think due to the warm water. One of my favorite methods is to burn rattletraps, most specifically for hybrids. However, I have witnessed largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye being caught at discharges using this tactic. During slower bites a 4 inch soft plastic jerkbait will usually do the trick for predator fish. Minnows are also a great option if you also want to catch crappie as well as the predator fish. Last but not least, if you want to target catfish, chicken liver can be used with great effectiveness.

Strap up the coveralls, layer up, and head out to your nearest warm water discharge. They are most definitely worth a trip or two, whether you want to catch a mess of panfish for dinner, or satisfy your cravings of going out and casting the new rod and reel. You will not be disappointed.